Islam’s View of God and His Revelation

Reaching Muslims, Part 1

How hard is it to share the gospel with a Muslim? By observing a few basic pointers,
any believer can begin effectively sharing the good news of his Creator God.

Encountering a Muslim is no longer limited to a handful of Western tourists
who happen to visit Egypt, Turkey, or some other popular Middle Eastern destination.
Nearly 2.5 million Muslims now call the United States home, another 3 million
reside in the United Kingdom, and similar numbers inhabit every other major
English-speaking country.

So more than ever, Christians in the West need to understand the unique challenges
of sharing the gospel with Muslims. Every believer’s heartbeat should be to
lovingly share Christ’s gracious work in a way that any precious soul can understand—regardless
of his or her religion.

This task may sound intimidating, but if you have already studied the basics
of defending your faith, you are well on your way. In fact, apologetics (a well-reasoned,
Bible-based explanation of your Christian beliefs) is a powerful tool in any
kind of evangelism. Whenever you bring up deep topics, such as the purpose of
life and eternity, people are easily drawn into fruitful conversations that
they find very relevant to their lives.

With an apologetics approach, you are able not only to defend your faith but
also to lovingly challenge them to reconsider their own beliefs.

The Fundamental Issue in Every Conversation

Before you begin a conversation with Muslims, remember that each person evaluates
all “evidence” in light of presuppositions. Presuppositions are those underlying
beliefs that drive how we think and interpret the world around us. A Muslim’s
presuppositions, usually ingrained in him since childhood, will color the way
he interprets everything you say.

This article will examine the Islamic presuppositions about God and His revelation.
By bringing these presuppositions to the surface, you can demonstrate the fundamental
flaws in Islam and then graciously point to the truth of the Bible. As the Holy
Spirit pulls down “spiritual strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5), He can also
open the heart and mind of the Muslim to hear the gospel.

The next article in this series will examine two other critical issues: the
Muslim view of man’s sinful nature and salvation. By the time you finish both
articles, you should be ready to converse profitably with any Muslim.

Islam’s View of God and the Christian Response

The Quran’s description of Allah, Islam’s supreme being, creates two insoluble
contradictions: he is unknowable but we can know him; and he is merciful, but
he has no just cause for his mercy. The Bible, in contrast, gives logical reasons
we can know God and find consolation in His mercy.

We will examine each in turn.

An unknowable, impersonal god. Absolute monotheism is the core
presupposition of Islam. The doctrine of tawhid (oneness) in Islam states
that Allah is utterly transcendent (Quran 112:1–4). In other words, He is not
just monotheistic but a wholly distinct, unique, indivisible, and completely
separate (impersonal) being who is unknowable by “personal” beings like us.
Allah exists without a place, independent of creation, with no resemblance to
his creations. Nothing in all of creation can be compared to Allah.

This central doctrine of tawhid creates an interesting logical challenge.
How can one know anything about something that is unknowable?

The Hadith, or tradition attributed to Muhammad, also teaches that Allah has
ninety-nine names that describe various aspects of Allah’s nature and personalities.
If Allah is unknowable, then how can we attribute ninety-nine names to him and
make him known?

The Bible, in contrast, reveals that God is personal, and He has revealed Himself
in the Bible so that He can be known. In fact, the Bible teaches that God created
mankind for the express purpose of knowing Him personally.

A just but merciful god. Islam calls Allah just (Quran 4:40),
and to be perfectly just, Allah must punish all sin. Yet the Quran also teaches
that Allah is merciful, forgiving those whom he chooses to forgive (Quran 4:110;
73:20). This creates a logical contradiction, which prevents Allah from being
either just or merciful.

If he is truly merciful, why isn’t he saving people during their life on earth
rather than leaving their destiny uncertain until the afterlife, as the Quran
teaches? To withhold salvation until the afterlife means that Allah ignores
people’s daily cry for freedom from sin and Satan. In other words, he is uninterested
in establishing heavenly justice while his followers live on earth, thus liberating
them from Satan’s present dominion.

Unlike Islam, Christianity offers an answer
to the apparent dilemma of a just but merciful God: the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.

Unlike Islam, Christianity offers an answer to the apparent dilemma of a just
but merciful God: the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ satisfied God’s justice
while enabling Him to show mercy. Unlike Allah, the God of the Bible extends
His justice to people while they live here on earth, allowing them to trust
Him and be saved now (Matthew 12:18–21; Isaiah 42:1–4). So God’s approach to
people, as revealed in the Bible, is both just and merciful.

Islam’s View of the Bible and the Christian Response

Islam teaches that the Torah was Allah’s first revelation and the gospel was
second. But both became corrupted, so Allah gave the Quran to Muhammad to put
people back on the right path. Muslims believe the Quran is Allah’s third and
final revelation, his perfect, unchanged words.

This brings up another contradiction in the Quran. The Quran teaches that Allah’s
words cannot be changed (Quran 6:115; 18:27), yet it also teaches that the Torah
and Gospels were changed and became corrupted.

In contrast, the Bible recognizes no other writings as Scripture, and in fact
it warns against adding to or taking away from its teachings (Proverbs 30:6;
Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Revelation 22:18–19). There is no evidence from Bible
manuscripts or history that the Bible was ever changed. (Indeed, all the surviving
manuscript evidence points to the opposite conclusion.)

But the Quran itself teaches that Muhammad changed some of its verses and that
his followers shredded the Quran (Quran 2:106; 16:101; 15:90–91). For this reason,
it will be eye-opening for Muslims if you encourage them to compare the Quran
and the Bible and they discover that the Bible is absolutely trustworthy while
the Quran is not. Since Islam teaches that the Bible—especially the first five
books of the Old Testament and the Gospels—is God’s Word, it is extremely appropriate
to refer to the Bible when you show how Christian and Islamic beliefs differ.

Islamic Belief in the Bible’s Corruption and the Christian Response

Muhammad claimed that the Bible predicted his name and that he would come after
Jesus to complete His unfinished mission. After the death of Muhammad, his followers
searched the Bible but did not find the name Muhammad. So they announced that
the Bible was corrupted. The Christian should challenge the Muslim to consider
the possibility that Muhammad was wrong and the Bible is correct.

Muhammad gave a second reason that the Bible must be corrupted: Christians
and Jews believe that God has children but God does not have sexual desires
and cannot have children. Muhammad did not know that God is called a spiritual
Father of His people (John 4:23–24) but He was never a “father” of any human
as a result of a sexual relationship. The Christian should show the Gospel passages
that describe Jesus’s conception and show that no sexual relation was involved
(Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:29–38; John 1:12–13).

The third reason for claiming the Bible’s corruption is the trinity.

The Quran incorrectly teaches that the Christian doctrine of the trinity is
that there are three gods: God the father, Mary his wife, and Jesus their son
(Quran 5:116). Muhammad taught his followers that Christians called Jesus God
and made Mary equal to God, so they believe in three gods.

He did not know that the Gospels never call Mary God and that Jesus was the
personal revelation of the One true God who, in His desire to build a personal
relationship with His people, took on human form (John 1:14) to die for their
sins (Matthew 20:28). It is important to correct these mistaken views, which
are among the main reasons Muslims have rejected Christianity for centuries.

Islam’s View of Christ and the Christian Response

The doctrine of the Trinity deserves special care when you talk to Muslims.
Since the oneness of God is central to their thinking, the trinity is a very
difficult concept and must be introduced with care. It is usually wise to delay
this discussion until the appropriate time, such as when you are explaining
Christ’s loving role as Savior.

Allah is described as a god of love (Quran 11:90; 85:14). But this is problematic
for tawhid, which describes him as impersonal. Love requires a personal
nature that searches for another personal object on which to express love. (In
other words, love exists only between two persons.) Love cannot be attributed
to an impersonal being.

Also, since Allah is impersonal, he is without multiple persons in his own
being on which to show love before creating the world and teaching love to his
creatures. If Allah did not have the attribute of love before creation, how
could he create beings with this attribute? A nonloving God cannot create loving
creatures.

Unlike in Allah, the very nature of the triune God of the Bible is love (1
John 4:8). Each person of the Trinity— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has loved
each of the others from eternity. The triune God has always had an object for
His love.

Indeed, God’s desire to reveal His loving nature in each Person is the very
reason He expressed His love to humanity. As the Father, He loved to save people;
as the Son, He put that love into practice; and as the Holy Spirit, He carries
His love through to the end. We will examine this important topic in more detail
in the next part of this series.

God Made Us to Overcome Barriers

God created all human beings, including Muslims, with freedom of choice and
the capacity to listen, read, and understand. By God’s grace the barriers that
separate anyone from Him can be overcome. Unless the barriers and misconceptions
are pointed out and corrected, they cannot be removed. The Christians’ challenge
is to understand the basic presuppositions, practices, and shortcomings of Islam
so that they can give well-reasoned arguments for the Bible’s truth, which God
can use to reach the Muslim.

The Quran vs. the Bible

Though the Quran claims to confirm the Torah and the Gospels, it actually contradicts
them in many key areas. For example,

The Torah states that God created man in His own image and good (Genesis
1:26); the Quran states that Allah created man in toil and trouble (Quran
90:4).

The Torah states that people have a right to inquire about the prophet’s
words and deeds (Deuteronomy 18:20–21); the Quran states that people have
no right to question the prophet and his successors at all (Quran 33:36; 59:7).

The Gospels state that lies come from the devil in whom is no truth (John
8:44); the Quran states that lying is legitimate under certain circumstances
(Quran 2:225; 3:28; 16:106).

The Gospels state that Jesus died, was buried, and rose on the third day;
the Quran states that Jesus did not die but was raised alive into heaven (Quran
4:157–158).

The Gospels declare Jesus to be the Son of God; the Quran declares Jesus
to be a mere man—albeit a prophet—but not the Son of God (Quran 9:30).

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me” (John 14:6); Islam rejects this concept and teaches
that Jesus was a prophet but Muhammad was a greater prophet.

The Quran contradicts the Torah and Gospels in hundreds of other ways, too. The Quran cannot be
true if it confirms the Torah and Gospels and yet contradicts most of their
key doctrines.

advertisements

Related Videos

Daniel Shayesteh Testimony

Answers Magazine

July – September 2011

Answers magazine is now in its sixth year of publication. To celebrate, we’ve produced a special double-length issue that features “the best of the first five years.” In addition to our regular departments and many new articles, we show all our timeless favorites (making this a truly collectible edition!). This special commemorative issue also makes a great gift item, which you can share with others who need to be challenged, encouraged, and equipped with some of “the best” in modern biblical creationism!

Risk-free trial issue!

First name:

Last name:

Email:

Address:

Address2:

City:

State:

Zip:

Leave unfilled:

If you decide you want to keep Answers coming, simply pay your invoice for just $24 and receive four issues (a full year) more. If not, write “cancel” across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless!

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
New subscribers only. No gift subscriptions.Offer valid in U.S. only.

Newsletter

Thank You!

Thank you for signing up to receive email newsletters from Answers in Genesis.

Whoops!

Your newsletter signup did not work out. Please refresh the page and try again.

Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focus on providing answers to questions about the Bible—particularly the book of Genesis—regarding key issues such as creation, evolution, science, and the age of the earth.